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Hyderabad: SW students launch probe to study cosmic radiation

The Swaerosat-1 reached an altitude of 26 km and recorded data throughout the flight which lasted about four hours.

Hyderabad: In a rare feat, 15 students of the social welfare residential schools have launched their own 'space' probe, Swaerosat-1, which is designed to study cosmic radiation and ozone layer concentration at various altitudes.

Swaerosat-1 was launched on board a high-altitude balloon of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research at 2.40 am on Friday.

Prasanna Lakshmi, a Class 9 student at the Social Welfare Residential School at Isnapur, said, "I never imagined that I would get an opportunity to design an atmospheric probe at such a young age. I feel that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity."

The Swaerosat-1 reached an altitude of 26 km and recorded data throughout the flight which lasted about four hours. The main objective of the mission is to study harmful radiation and to measure the concentration of the ozone layer at various altitudes and compare it to the global standard.

The endeavour was tracked live with Global Positioning System (GPS) from the TIFR control centre and the payload was recovered at Gulbarga, Karnataka, according to official information.

Another team member, J. Divya from the Gowlidoddi College, said, "I was thrilled when I saw our payload taking off without technical glitches. My aim is to become a space scientist and make India proud."

Officials from the residential schools said that the Swaerosat -1 was launched as a symbol of the aspiration of marginalised communities,

"All these students hail from poor families and are first generation learners, whose parents work as daily wage labourers, masons, auto drivers, construction workers, vegetable vendors and roadside tea sellers. But neither their poverty nor their humble family backgrounds prevented these child prodigies dreaming of becoming space scientists in the future," added the official.

Dr R.S. Praveen Kumar, secretary, Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institute Society (TSWREIS), who was present at the launch, said, "This is a rare feat in the history of TSWREIS and perhaps for the first time in India the students of social welfare schools launched their tiny payload into the stratosphere."

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